There is something to be said for guitar driven rock music: there isn’t much being made currently. Oh yes, there are bands playing a guitar in their songs, but there is also plenty of distortion and effects to deter you from the instrument. Thankfully, Florida natives Surfer Blood have replenished our deficiency.
Track one, ‘Floating Vibes’ opens with the thunder of a few chords and a simple riff and picks up with the waves. Then the waves crash as ‘Swim’ explodes with echoed vocals and another strong riff. The best parts of this album: themes of ocean water and the incorporation of surf guitar.
‘Neighbour Riffs’ is an homage to 60s style surf guitar, not quite Dick Dale but these boys give it a solid effort. Then you have ‘Take It Easy’ and ‘Harmonix’- both very catchy and demand you listen to them repeatedly. ‘Fast Jabroni’ and ‘Slow Jabroni’ juxtapose each other nicely, and album closer ‘Catholic Pagans’ is an honest and funny track. ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Anchorage’ are also fun in their own right.
For fans of 90s guitar rock in the vein of Weezer, The Pixies or Pavement, you’ll enjoy this album. The guitar has light distortion but not enough to make forget they were playing the instrument in the first place. This whole album sounds like it was well crafted, and you can appreciate that. I can tell this will become one of my summer favorites when the weather gets warmer. Until then, keep your eye out for sharks.
PS – How do you hear about new music? I’ll have suggestions next week.
